This invention relates to a telescoping corner mounting bracket which enables articles such as the head of a trophy animal to be mounted for display in a corner of a room rather than the more common location which is on a face of a wall remote from the corner.
Heretofore, articles such as hunting trophies, speakers, tall mirrors, hanging planters, etc., have been displayed by mounting on a wall of a room usually at a location away from a corner. Such location is often determined by the wall construction since such articles can be quite heavy. Since the locations for displaying the article on a wall under these circumstances are limited, the article often may not be viewed to its best advantage or it may appear as being intrusive within the confines of the room.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a means for mounting an article at the concave convergence, that is, the inside corner, of two walls of a room, where construction of the convergence provides ample support for the article and where the article will not appear to be intrusive. A further object is to provide a means integral with the mounting bracket which ensures that an article is mounted upright.
Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,421, which issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Zaccone for a Corner Hangar. Zaccone discloses a base plate having side flanges which extend thereform at 45 degrees. The base plate cuts across the corner and the side flanges engage the two walls of an inside corner. With this design the base plate is positioned outwardly from the wall joint. A hangar arm, with outwardly projecting tabs at one end, is mounted to the base plate by slipping the tabs into corresponding slots formed in the base plate.
The Applicant is further aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,225, which issued Sep. 20, 1977 to Chasen and Einhorn for a Mounting Bracket Having Hinged Base. Chasen and Einhorn disclose a hangar arm and one hinge arm which are integrally formed by a method such as casting. A second hinge arm is then attached to the hangar and hinge. The hinge arrangement permits the hangar to be mounted to flat, curved or angular surfaces. This mounting bracket is not capable of being mounted to an inside corner.
The Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,440, which issued Aug. 7, 1984 to Dotzman for a Trophy Mount. Dotzman discloses a replica animal head to which antlers, which have been previously removed from the skull of an animal, can be mounted. The replica head is attached to a plaque by a brace and the plaque may be either wall or table mounted.
What is neither taught nor rendered obvious from the prior art, and which is an object of the present invention, is a telescoping mounting bracket which enables a bulky, and often heavy, article to be mounted for display in a corner of a room.
In summary, the corner mounting bracket of the present invention includes a V-shaped elongate base for mounting snugly into an inner corner of a room and a rigid cantilevered member rigidly mounted to the base. The base is elongate between first and second opposite ends. It is generally V-shaped in cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the base extending along a vertex of the V-shape. The rigid cantilevered member is rigidly mounted to the base adjacent the first end of the base so as to extend therefrom generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and so as to bisect the V-shape. A distal end of the cantilevered member is adapted for hanging articles therefrom.
In one aspect of the present invention the cantilevered member comprises first and second rigid telescopic members. The first member is hollow and rigidly mounted at one end thereof to the base. The second member is slidibly telescopically mounted to the first member. The distal end of the second member may be the distal end of the cantilevered member.
Advantageously a mounting plate is rigidly mounted generally vertically across the distal end of the second member. It may be aligned orthogonally relative to a longitudinal axis of the second member. The mounting plate may include a lip extending out of a plane containing the mounting plate. The lip may be oriented, when the mounting plate is mounted to the distal end of the second member, so as to extend away from the second member. The lip may extend along a lower edge of the mounting plate.
In one embodiment, the longitudinal axis of the second member is collinear with a longitudinal axis of the first member, and the longitudinal axis of the first member intersects the longitudinal axis of the base. The longitudinal axis of the base may be an axis of symmetry of the base.
The base may comprise first and second rigid flanges mounted to each other along corresponding edges thereof. The corresponding edges form a seam along the vertex of the V-shape. The first and second flanges advantageously have mounting apertures therein for receiving therethrough threaded mounting members such as bolts etc. for threaded engagement with the inner corner so as to mount the base to the inner corner.
In a further aspect, selective adjustment means for adjusting the extension of the cantilevered member are provided, mounted or mountable to the first and second rigid telescopic members for selective adjustment of telescopic extension of the second member relative to the first member. The selective adjustment means may comprise a rigid elongate member such as a pin or bolt, etc. for mounting through alignable adjustment apertures in the first and second members when the adjustment apertures are aligned by selective telescopic sliding of the second member relative to the first member.